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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27317803">Experimentation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaijuscientists/pseuds/Kaijuscientists'>Kaijuscientists</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fictober 2020 [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Blood and Gore, Human Experimentation, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Temporary Character Death, Torture, Which is a tag I never thought I’d use, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:48:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27317803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaijuscientists/pseuds/Kaijuscientists</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens to Joe and Nicky in the time between their arrival at Merrick’s and Andy and Booker’s capture.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fictober 2020 [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Experimentation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>31. TODAY’S SPECIAL: TORTURE<br/>Experiment | Whipped | Left for Dead</p>
<p>And this brings us to a close! I started with Joe and Nicky and I thought it’d be nice to end on them too. It’s been fun, can’t believe I wrote as much as I did.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Nicky comes to, the first thing he hears, unfortunately, is Joe’s agonized screaming.  It takes him a moment to get his bearings, remember what happened before his heart stopped.</p>
<p>“Stop.” he says, struggling against his bonds, arching his back off the cold steel table he’s strapped to.  But the straps don’t budge, much like they didn’t any other time he tried to force them.  “Please, leave him alone.” </p>
<p>Nicky lifts his head, trying to see better what is happening across from him. But the doctor is standing between them, and he can’t properly see what she’s doing.  All he can hear is the tell tale cracking of bones, and the wet, choking scream that gets caught in Joe’s throat.</p>
<p>“You’re hurting him!” Nicky screams, pounding his fists on the table, anything to get Kozak’s attention on him. “You are going to kill him.”</p>
<p>“For god's sake,” Kozak snaps, her temper snapping like Joe’s ribs as she steps away to face Nicky.  “He can’t die! Your concern is very sweet, but it’s getting very old.” </p>
<p>All of Nicky’s words turn to dust on his tongue. From his limited vantage point, he can see that Joe’s chest is split open, a large metal device holding his ribs apart.  He looks from Joe to Kozak, eyes wide.</p>
<p>“He’ll be fine as soon as i’m done,” She says, bloody, gloved hand leaning on the table.</p>
<p>Joe’s head lulls to the side, gasping in harsh, shallow breaths.  Nicky is honestly surprised that he’s even still conscious.  The pain he must be in, Nicky can not even imagine. </p>
<p>“Cuore mio” Nicky says softly, his skin burning to touch his love, to free him from this torture. Joe might be looking at him, but his eyes are glazed over with pain and there is nothing behind his eyes.  He knows this man well enough to know when he’s not present, even if he’s still technically alive.  “He doesn’t deserve this, this pain.” </p>
<p>“He can heal,” Kozak says, looking back at Joe. “It’s remarkable really, tissues are already starting to knit back together.”</p>
<p>That hurts, just because they could heal from fever sting injuries doesn’t mean that those injuries don’t have a lasting impact.  </p>
<p>“It’s torture.” Nicky gasps out, needless now, since they had already collected every kind of sample imaginable from them. Anything else she’s done has just been for fun as far as he’s concerned. “You have plenty of samples, just let us go.” </p>
<p>“Unfortunately your contributions do not stop at some tissue and blood donations.” She replies, just as Joe's heart monitor begins to slow to a rate that would be hard pressed to be called a rhythm. </p>
<p>“No,” Nicky’s stomach drops out, looking back at Joe’s face, he’s features gone slack. “Take it out, please.”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t think I will. We need to know how much your bodies can handle.” Kodak responds, turning back to Joe, watching his exposed heart stutter in his chest until it stops. “Apparently that’s all he can handle.”</p>
<p>Kozaks nonchalance at so easily taking Joe’s life makes him sick. </p>
<p>“I wonder if the heart will restart while the chest is split open.” She says, mostly thinking aloud to herself.  She turns around, ignoring Nicky now, too preoccupied with Joe, scribbling down notes in a book.  </p>
<p>Nicky couldn’t take his eyes off Joe. He doesn’t need to wait to get an answer to that question. Their bodies healed so quickly, it was only a matter of time before he came back, even with a spreader keeping his ribs spread apart. </p>
<p>Except there was always that small chance that it was his time. That Joe would not open his eyes, and Nicky would never hear his voice or fall asleep in his arms again. </p>
<p>“Joe, wake up, Joe.” Nicky calls to his love in Italian. He keeps talking, growing more anxious as the minutes pass and Joe remains motionless. </p>
<p>“Will you shut up already.” Kozak says, looking at him over her shoulder, one gloved hand inside Joe. </p>
<p>“Leave him alone and I will.” Nicky offers, straining against his bonds again. “He’s had enough, it’s my turn.”</p>
<p>She considers his offer for a moment, one eyebrow arched. </p>
<p>“Ok, if you’re so eager.” She says, taking her time removing the spreader device from Joe’s chest. </p>
<p>“I think I know just where to start with you.” She says, pulling some things out of a drawer. She grabs his arm and pushes a needle into the crook of his elbow, connected to a tube, leading somewhere out of his sight. “Do you regenerate blood faster than it leaves the body?”</p>
<p>Nicky sighs, it’s not the first time he’s been bleed out, and he’s not too concerned about it now. Out of all the different ways he's died, this one isn’t too bad. He turns his attention back to Joe, happy to see that he already looks better.</p>
<p>When Joe inhales a stuttering, gasping breath, a weight lifts from his shoulders and settles squarely on his chest, his heart starting to work overtime to pump his diminishing blood volume around his body. </p>
<p>“Hayati.” He says, voice weak.  “It is good to see you awake again.” </p>
<p>Joe’s eyes open, immediately seeking him out, a small smile gracing his lips, happy that they had yet to be separated.  </p>
<p>“That’s nearly double the usual blood volume for an adult.” Kozak says, and she’s unable to keep the wonder from her voice. “It’s really incredible, are you feeling any effects yet?”</p>
<p>Joe’s eyes widened, she was bleeding him. </p>
<p>“It’s ok.” Nicky says sadly, ignoring the doctor. He’s getting very sleepy, eyelids heavy and harder to open each time they close.  Joe just watches him fade with a sadness in his eyes. They’ve been here before, forced to watch the other, and it wouldn’t be the last time either.  “I’ll come back, fast.”</p>
<p>“See you soon, amore mio.” Joe says softly, his chest hurting for a reason totally unrelated to his still healing injuries, as he watches Nicky take a final breath. </p>
<p>It wasn’t ok, none of this was ok.</p>
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